Special Investigative Report
JOURNALIST and creative writer Habib R. Sulemani is locked inside his home in Pakistan’s garrison city, Rawalpindi, for over 21 months. He is living in solitary confinement after three attempts on his life in 2010.
In September 2011, when The Terrorland published an article, Poetry turns into reality: war crimes case against Pakistan general, which annoyed the military establishment and the Inter-Services Intelligence sent trained target-killers, provided by its ally the Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), to his house but fortunately he escaped the intended attack.
In September 2011, when The Terrorland published an article, Poetry turns into reality: war crimes case against Pakistan general, which annoyed the military establishment and the Inter-Services Intelligence sent trained target-killers, provided by its ally the Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), to his house but fortunately he escaped the intended attack.
“The agencies also tried to use some women, friends and people from the neighborhood in another engineered attempt... but they failed,” said a source, adding that critical posts of The Terrorland had upset Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and he was annoyed at Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt-Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha and Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) chief Maj-Gen. Athar Abbas for not being able to deal with a blogger.
Regular visitors of this group blog know how some colleagues at the Dawn Media Group’s Islamabad offices reportedly stole the manuscript (soft copy) of Habib Sulemani's novel, The Terrorland, which Resident Editor Zaffar Abbas provided to his powerful brother and chief military spokesman, Maj-Gen Athar Abbas. Thus it reached the top brass of the military.
According to sources, the military establishment declared Mr. Sulemani’s written words a "toxic attack on Pakistan's ideological frontiers.” Before any action, the decision-makers made their minds to check and double-check the low-profile journalist’s unpublished literary works. Thus the ISI with the help of the Military Intelligence (MI) stole Mr. Sulemani's entire data from his home computer, through "specially employed" persons.
A plan was made to give the journalist an "exemplary punishment" for his unpublished creative writings so that no one in future dares to write about the hidden face of the army generals in the country. Talking about the military is forbidden in the militarized Islamic Republic of Pakistan. So, besides his colleagues, some friends and relatives were also made part of a cruel mass murder plot. “Some of the intriguers said ‘yes’ at gunpoint others were given lucrative offers to make them part of the ruthless murder plot.”
Besides bugging and hacking Mr. Sulemani’s phones and emails, the ISI special Cell at Dawn Islamabad – allegedly headed by Baqir Sajjad – recorded his fearless intellectual discussions on “taboo subjects” at the office and on the way to home in the official vehicle of the newspaper. “Habib’s views on Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan had really enraged a very influential group of colleagues from Kashmir,” said a source at Dawn during background interviews. “Colleagues would record his opinions, without bringing it to his knowledge, and provide the tape to the News Editor (Farman Ali) and edition-in-charges (Adeel Raza and Rehan Yoususf) who would provide it to the Resident Editor (Zaffar Abbas), and it would reach the military-men.
“After declaring him (Habib Sulemani) a traitor, liable to death, he was systematically isolated at office and in the journalistic community—the Abbas Brothers used their network besides the secret agencies.”
The spy agencies reportedly took months to contact, interview and take into confidence Mr. Sulemani’s relatives, friends and all those who had interacted with him at some point in life. "Some of them were harassed others were brainwashed—that Mr. Sulemani was a westernized mind who was very negative about the very foundations of Pakistan—playing in the hands of enemies of the country, and that intellectually he was a security risk! At this point some people agreed in an emotional patriotic way to get the most authentic license of patriotism from the ISI—thus the stage was set to punish an innocent writer along with his entire family members in a systematic ruthless way."
Sources said that the ISI, MI and ISPR made a foolproof mass murder plan. “It was finalized at the ISI headquarters (in Islamabad) and approved at the GHQ (General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army) in Rawalpindi.”
According to the approved plan, two teams of pawns were constituted: one at the Karakoram International University (KIU), in Gilgit, and the other at the offices of daily Dawn in Islamabad.
The KIU team (under the supervisions of two army officers – Major Amin of the ISI and Major Khushamadin of the MI) – made a honor-related case against a sister, Nasira Parveen, of the journalist. The plan was: being a respectable family in the tribal society, a case of honor will compel the girl to commit suicide or her brothers or relatives will kill her... in the next phase, there was application of psychological warfare to kill the elderly parents and other brothers and sisters due to 'depression' or similar pretext... the remaing members were to be killed and then declared the murder suicide!
Man proposes, God disposes... due to the bravery of Ms. Parveen and her elder sister, the criminal plan went wrong at the very first stage! Then Mr. Sulemani's journalistic sources worked and found the secret plot of the perpetrators—the plot was exposed in a miraculous way—so out of frustration, the Dawn team in Islamabad became operative—so there was the first direct attack on Habib Sulemani when he was returning home from office. They wanted to get rid of as the plot had been exposed by his sources. After the first attack, Mr. Sulemani stopped going office as he had been warned of further attacks. Then one after another, two more attempts were made on his life at home, which luckily failed.
Man proposes, God disposes... due to the bravery of Ms. Parveen and her elder sister, the criminal plan went wrong at the very first stage! Then Mr. Sulemani's journalistic sources worked and found the secret plot of the perpetrators—the plot was exposed in a miraculous way—so out of frustration, the Dawn team in Islamabad became operative—so there was the first direct attack on Habib Sulemani when he was returning home from office. They wanted to get rid of as the plot had been exposed by his sources. After the first attack, Mr. Sulemani stopped going office as he had been warned of further attacks. Then one after another, two more attempts were made on his life at home, which luckily failed.
When Mr. Suleamni contacted the police, they refused to register a case against the powerful accused. Then he sought protection from the government and Supreme Court of Pakistan, the secret agencies reportedly didn’t let them do anything. The representatives of rights bodies had either become an ally of the secret agencies or kept mum out of fear! When the government, on the insistence of the military establishment, tried to minimize concerns of people through propaganda, then The Terrorland group blog came into being to tell the brutal truth to the world.
“The powerful perpetrators had spread rumors in every direction through state machinery, social group, mainstream media and agents of the agencies. They were using psychological warfare tactics by isolating the innocent family in the entire country—but the blogs worked like miracle,” said a member of The Terrorland Team.
At this point, the military establishment tried its best to use the carrot-and-stick formula to silence Mr. Sulemani. In this regard he was contacted through certain relatives, lost friends, messengers, government and military officials, and journalists. Among those who contacted the family included Major Amin of the ISI, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) secretory-general Shamsul Islam Naz, Dawn employees’ union president Bakhtawar Mian, Mehboob-ur-Rehman Tanoli from the Express TV and an official of the KIU.
Some messengers tried to take Mr. Sulemani out of his home... from where the agencies were supposed to attack or kidnap him; but according to the advice of friends, he refused to step outside his home without any guarantee of security from the government.
"The military establishment along its political face (MQM) is determined to take revenge for whatever The Terrorland has published and spread through the social media," said an official on request of anonymity.
Some messengers tried to take Mr. Sulemani out of his home... from where the agencies were supposed to attack or kidnap him; but according to the advice of friends, he refused to step outside his home without any guarantee of security from the government.
"The military establishment along its political face (MQM) is determined to take revenge for whatever The Terrorland has published and spread through the social media," said an official on request of anonymity.
To cut a long story short, one day Dawn's senior reporter Khaleeq Kiani – according to a former Editor, he is media vanguard of the military establishment's business conglomerates – went to meet Mr. Sulemani at his home. He urged him to drop the names of two colleagues from the list of accused: Resident Editor Zaffar Abbas and Staff Reporter Amir Wasim. When Mr. Sulemani refused, Mr. Kiani left with a veiled threat!
Then, sources claim, on the direction of the Pakistan military establishment, Dawn Media Group owners sent two highest officials of the management to negotiate with Mr. Sulemani at his home. Tahir Owais (Senior General Manager whose name appeared in the print-line of daily Dawn Islamabad as Printer and Publisher) and Khurshid Aizid (Manager Human Resources Dawn Group Karachi) visited Mr. Sulemani at his home with lucrative offers to avoid legal action against the accused, saying that the secret agencies and their agents were above the law in Pakistan, and any legal battle against them would be useless.
Dawn management offered Mr. Sulemani to work anywhere for the newspaper if he didn’t want to go back to the Islamabad offices. However, when he sought protection from the ISI and MI, the visiting managers just excused. When Mr. Sulemani sought legal action against the accused being sheltered at Dawn, the newspaper management didn't respond positively either.
In the meantime Zaffar Abbas was hesitating to publish his names as editor in the print-line of the newspaper although he had kicked off his boss and respected journalist Abbas Nasir. Then another era of backdoor dialogue started! However, Mr. Sulemani made it clear that his case was a test of the justice system in Pakistan so he would keep demanding legal action against the accused nothing else.
In the meantime Zaffar Abbas was hesitating to publish his names as editor in the print-line of the newspaper although he had kicked off his boss and respected journalist Abbas Nasir. Then another era of backdoor dialogue started! However, Mr. Sulemani made it clear that his case was a test of the justice system in Pakistan so he would keep demanding legal action against the accused nothing else.
“After losing the game at this level as well,” an insider said, “in November 2010, the Dawn administration sent a reluctant letter to Mr. Sulemani, which is a classic sample of intellectual dishonesty at the newspaper of Muhammad Ali Jinnah (the founder of Pakistan and Dawn).”
Here is the letter:
The above letter is an authentic document for historians to scrutinize the criminal media culture in today's Pakistan, and its role in the menace of global terrorism. Analysts and legal experts say the letter exposes the hidden and unbelievable face of Dawn – the so-called most respected newspaper of Pakistan.
Mr. Sulemani wrote an email to the Dawn management, which is being given below:
Mr. Khurshid Aizid
(Sr. Manager Human Resources)
Pakistan Herald Publication (Private) Limited
Haroon House, Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road,
Karachi, Pakistan.
Dear Sir,
First of all congratulations for getting promotion. I received your letter (No. SM(HR)/PHPL/XII/(i)/10/6237, written on November 4, 2010 and posted four days later). I am in shock! I phoned Mr. Tahir Owais, Sr. General Manager/Publisher daily Dawn Islamabad, but he was not available. You along with Mr. Owais visited me at my home in Rawalpindi on June 23, 2010 regarding the three attempts on my life and the threats to my family members and my own life. During the about one-hour meeting, I had informed you about the details of the criminal attacks this year and atrocities at workplace since 2005.
Earlier, in the last week of May, we had a telephonic conversation and according to your advice, I had written my demands in an email, sent to you on June 1, 2010. I had also written an email to Editor Dawn Abbas Nasir on April 4, 2010.
And now in this letter from your desk – full of lies, factual and technical errors – has taken me aback. You are claiming that I am absent from office without intimation. Do you really have some professional credibility or you blindly follow the laws of those criminals who have taken this great organization of Mr. M.A. Jinnah hostage?
You are said to be a highly educated person and a practicing Muslim and these kinds of lies are against the teachings of Islam. They are also against the laws of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. What kind of a culture is this at the Dawn Trust?
I am a sincere professional journalist, and I have sacrificed a lot during the last five years for the reputation of Dawn. Still I am silent about the documented atrocities of the criminal editorial administration of this newspaper.
It is my sincere advice to you: please, take this notice back as soon as possible. And release my salary which you had stopped illegally since June 2010. You have put my life in danger and I am continuously receiving threats. I can’t go to the doctor even as my blood pressure often shoots up. I am locked inside my home for over seven months, instead of providing me help and protection under the laws as an employee you want to give me additional torture. I can’t afford any further torture.
Yours sincerely,
Habib R. Sulemani
(Sub Editor)
Daily Dawn Islamabad,
(Sub Editor)
Daily Dawn Islamabad,
Pakistan.
November 15, 2010
Mr. Sulemani's email, according to insiders, embarrassed the owners of Dawn Media Group. There was a "big tension" between CEO Hameed Haroon and current Editor Dawn Zaffar Abbas... but the former bowed down due to pressure from the military establishment.
After consultations with a former judge and lawyer, the Dawn management sent another letter to Mr. Sulemani, which, according to legal experts, is actually a "confession of their crime." A senior journalist said: "It shows that the Dawn Management is unable to take any action against the Zaffar Abbas and his cronies who have hijacked the Newspaper of the Founding Father."
Here is the letter:
Here is the letter:
Instead of sending this letter to Mr. Sulemani, the management of Dawn should have sacked the accused officials. "At least they (accused employees) could have been suspended and an in-house investigation should have initiated against them if not a formal police report. But the management proved its cowardice and let the innocent employee to fight on its own," says a former office-bearer of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists.
Besides refusal of the Dawn management, the local police also refused to register a case against the powerful accused while the federal government and Supreme Court of Pakistan are still silent despite written requests for protection and provision of justice.
Besides refusal of the Dawn management, the local police also refused to register a case against the powerful accused while the federal government and Supreme Court of Pakistan are still silent despite written requests for protection and provision of justice.
Who are the accused
Pakistan Army chief Gen. Kayani, ISI chief Lt-Gen. Shuja Pasha, ISPR chief Maj-Gen. Athar Abbas, Major Amin (ISI) and Major Khushamadin (MI) along with the aforementioned teams, played main role in the alleged plot.Here are brief biographical notes about the less-known members of the two alleged teams.
Team A - Dawn Islamabad
Team A consists of the "most powerful and cunning" people who allegedly initiated the murder plot after failure in other ways to get rid of Mr. Sulemani, sources said. "Habib had become an intellectual challenge for the editorial admin at Dawn Islamabad. Whatever his colleagues did to him from 2005 to 2010 is sheer criminal and many journalists in Islamabad are witness to the character assassination campaigns against him," said a media-person.
Zaffar Abbas is allegedly ISI's most "deceptive and ruthless media-man" in Pakistan. He is the incumbent editor of Dawn newspaper and a member of the infamous Abbas Brothers, who reportedly run a secret network in and outside Pakistan as the think-tank of the MQM. "They consider themselves strength of the powerful military establishment in Pakistan," says a friend of Mr. Abbas. Mr. Zaffar's elder brother, Maj-Gen. Athar Abbas, is leading the military's media war front. His other brothers are also in the media: Azhar Abbas is an executive at the Geo News TV while Mazhar Abbas has grabbed a higher position at the ARY News channel. Mr. Mazhar, according to a former office-bearer of the PFUJ, kept a bullet on his parked car and then interpreted it as a threat "thus he (Mazhar) succeeded in deceiving the CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists) and got an award for his bravery."
Another journalist said: "General Athar would be member of the Parliament on MQM ticket. Do you understand the game?" Mr. Zaffar's wife runs a media-related NGO, known as Uks, in Islamabad, which was a part of the plot.
Another journalist said: "General Athar would be member of the Parliament on MQM ticket. Do you understand the game?" Mr. Zaffar's wife runs a media-related NGO, known as Uks, in Islamabad, which was a part of the plot.
Farman Ali was the News Editor at Dawn Islamabad besides President of an ISI-funded NGO. Now he works for The Express Tribune in the capital. Sources claim that his education is just intermediate therefore he is often humiliated by his editors and colleagues. It is famous about him that he changes color 24 times a day... for some people he is a communist, for others he is a racist and sectarian bent of mind person. "He can do anything for a glass of wine," Afzal Butt, former president National Press Club Islamabad, had said once. He had accused Zaffar Abbas and Adeel Raza of an "attack" on one of his female relatives in Rawalpindi. "They want to humiliate me so that I leave Dawn and Zaffar's favorite boy (Adeel) takes my position," he had told a confidant when still at Dawn. 
Adeel Raza is Edition-in-charge at Dawn Islamabad. He is the nephew of PFUJ president Pervez Shaukat, and is believed to replace him in the future as a 'leader' of journalists. He reportedly played main role in isolating Mr. Sulemani as a part of the systematic suffocation-death plan. He tried to use some of his neighbors as well...! Besides Dawn, he was working for an English weekly of Gilgit-Baltistan, which, he had tried to use in the criminal game. "Adeel was the person who contacted and told me that he (Habib) was against Shias," said a journalist who works in Islamabad. "I was shocked how he can be... but now I know why this dirty sectarian game was being played at that time. To be truthful, yet we can't speak the whole truth... you know I've a family to feed!" 
Tariq Hassan is a subeditor at Dawn Islamabad who, according to one of his former colleagues in Karachi, was transferred to the federal capital for a special purpose: to make way for the MQM in the journalistic community of the twin cities. And he has done that very successfully."Today the National Press Club and PFUJ are under the direct control of Altaf Hussain. Even the Abbas Brothers, who had once suffered at the hands of the MQM, are now a part of the fascist and racist gang."
Mr. Tariq had been to jail for using patrol bombs during protests. Famous for his shenanigans, one of his former editors had told his successor: "Be careful of the snake, it can bite without realizing you!" He is allegedly leading the web of MQM informers in the federal capital area, a worker of Dawn disclosed. "Neither he can edit nor write a piece in English, but still he gets salary from Dawn, because he is a devoted worker of MQM."
Yasir Ali Mansuri left Dawn after the attacks on Mr. Sulemani and now works for the Voice of America (Urdu section) in Islamabad. He was a self-styled patriot and spokesman for the ISI and ISPR at the Dawn."He was a master hacker and used to get illegal access to anyone's tray, emails and social media accounts," said a former trainee at Dawn and current media-person. "All employees were terrified by him and his father (Anwar Mansuri) who silently stabbed many employees. I was not given a job because I had asked him (Yasir) a tough question... that how he had gotten the job at Dawn!"
However, no one knows how he garbed the job at the VOA despite being an accused in an ISI-conceived murder plot! "It's a trick to show their power: USA is even with us... you can't do anything!"
However, no one knows how he garbed the job at the VOA despite being an accused in an ISI-conceived murder plot! "It's a trick to show their power: USA is even with us... you can't do anything!"
Amir Wasim is a reporter at Dawn Islamabad. He is known as an MQM activist in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad who has direct access to the MQM's British-passport-holder leader Altaf Hussain. He was allegedly involved in the killing of an anti-MQM political worker (belonging to the Haqqiqi group) in Rawalpindi about two years ago.According to his colleagues, he is an integral part of the MQM leaders in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, and a bridge between the ISI and MQM. MQM parliamentarians especially Haider Rizvi, Baber Ghori and Wasim Ahmed. After a sectarian slur against Shia Muslims, his relations with Zaffar Abbas had become tensed... but the MQM made a peace agreement between the two known "opportunists" at Dawn Media Group.
Munawer Azeem is the crime reporter, known as criminal-reporter, at Dawn Islamabad. He is the nephew of Executive Editor Express Tribune M. Ziaddin. When Mr. Ziauddin was Resident Editor Dawn Islamabad, he gave Mr. Azeem a regular job at an alleged fake degree. Prior to journalism, he was working at a grocery shop in Karachi, said a reporter. "He can't write a copy without taking others help." A previous post says: " Insiders say that M. Ziauddin became ready to publish the above given story (in favor of Zaffar Abbas) along with his own 'forced' comments about Zaffar Abbas for two reasons. 1) he got a call from someone more influential— 2) an ‘illiterate’ nephew of the editor of The Express Tribune, Munawar Azeem, is an employee of Dawn."
Chaudhry Ishaq is a photographer at Dawn Islamabad. "He can reveal everything about every colleague especially editors to get personal benefits," says a photographer. He is a reportedly a member of a land-mafia especially the group at the National Press Club Islamabad, which is caretaker of the Media Town Rawalpindi.
He along his son allegedly got two plots and one has already been sold illegally. "He allotted his son a plot first then recruited him at Waqat TV as a photo-journalist to legalize the illegal plot." He is a character in A plot of land & the mass murder plot.
He along his son allegedly got two plots and one has already been sold illegally. "He allotted his son a plot first then recruited him at Waqat TV as a photo-journalist to legalize the illegal plot." He is a character in A plot of land & the mass murder plot.
Rehan Yousuf works as edition-in-charge Dawn Metropolitan Peshawar, published from Islamabad. Before joining the organization, Adeel Raza had declared him a Taliban-like-his-friend-Ansar-Abbassi. He is said to be a member of the Jamaat-i-Islami but sympathizes with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. "He is a leading member of the ISI-brand jihadists at Dawn," said a leftist journo. According to a reporter, Mr. Yousuf, said that Zaffar Abbas was responsible for the Lal (Red) Mosque massacre who "wrote articles as a result the Pakistan Army started the operation and killed countless innocent girl students who had been acting violently as a part of the ISI strategy to get global attention and dollars."
Zar Alam is a subeditor at Dawn Islamabad. Personally, he is believed to be a gentle man "but living in Rome means you have to do as the Romans do." According to a source, Farman Ali used him for his sinister purposes... and mobilized the Ismaili Shia Muslims according to the ISI-plot, saying that Mr. Sulemani was working against the Ismaili faith as well as the state. A previous post says: "To be frank Mr. Farman Ali can cash even his dirt through his shenanigans," said a member of the NGO. "I've never seen such a visionless person in my entire life, and am surprised how the newspapers accommodate him... may be therefore our press is considered the most irresponsible in the world."
Anwar Mansuri is said to be the softer facade of the hardcore criminals at Dawn Islamabad (intellectual terrorists). After the attacks on Mr. Sulemani, when he exposed Mr. Mansuri along with his 'militarized' son, the senior journalist used his influence and shifted his son (Yasir Ali) to the VOA."He's expert in psychological attacks on reporters in the name of editing," said a reporter. "Sometimes he rewrites a copy and even the reporter can't understand the published stuff. It becomes embarrassing but Baba jee tas say mass nahi hota! His headlines often make great jokes in the journalist community!"
Team B - KIU Gilgit
The team at the Karakoram International University (KIU), in Gilgit, was just a "stupid group of puppets... who were doing as they were being ordered from Islamabad." Some of the accused had even requested to Mr. Sulemani and his family members to forgive them as they had become a part of the plot unwillingly... due to pressure from the top!
Here are members of this team: KIU Vice-Chancellor Dr. Najma Najam (first from left) is also working for the “psychological warfare cell” of the ISI; Registrar Dr. Ahsanullah Mir is a known as a Taliban commander on campus; Muhammad Hussain, Assistant Professor Manzoor Ali, Dr. Muhammad Ramzan, Karim Khan, Dr. Salma Durrani and Ms. Tahira did what they were ordered from the top. "If they had refused, their jobs even lives would have been in danger," a source on campus told The Terrorland Team during the background interview.
“ONE thing bothers me a lot. Being a female vice-chancellor, why Dr Najma Najam with Prof. Salma Durrani, her closest friend on campus, put my life in danger? I’m ashamed when I see them in the media advocating for the rights of women. I'm ashamed to call them women! Anybody can hire their services to destroy someone’s life or carrier. They’re evils on campus, and enemies of students and our education system,” said Ms. Parveen, who is illegally not being allowed to attend classes by the administration of the Karakoram International University for the last 22 months.
Mr. Sulemani said if something happened to him or any of his family member, then Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Army, ISI, ISPR and the London-based MQM leader Altaf Hussain would be responsible for it.
--Mr. Sulemani said if something happened to him or any of his family member, then Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Army, ISI, ISPR and the London-based MQM leader Altaf Hussain would be responsible for it.
